Dwarven Triad
| base = Torrent | other strongholds = Reign | region = | races = | patron deity = Laverna | allegiance = Totenkopfs | enemies = | ageoftga = Third Age | predecessor = Clergy of Laverna }} The Dwarven Triad was a criminal organization which operated in Torrent during the Third Age. Most of the Triad members were wiped out in the Aisonian purges during the later years of the Great War, but according to rumours some of the prominent Triad members might have survived. These rumours were confirmed in 1017 AE when the Triad re-emerged in Reign during the Day of the Damned festival after they had manipulated various factions, including the Grand Alliance, Crimson Coalition, Union Workers and Order of the Black Rose in a bid to bring back Laverna, the Goddess of Thieves. They've also used several mercenaries to do their bidding, most notably the Finian Clan and the Sinister Six. The Triad fell after the Catastrophe and is believed to be all but gone in the Fourth Age. History Early Years A group of dwarves disagreed with the Kilbannock dwarven family in Aison during the kingdom's early years and ventured outside the Glenfiddich Range to create their own dwarven home. They settled into what would become Torrent and began running dubious businesses, eventually naming themselves the Dwarven Triad. Dwarves rose into prominent positions within the Triad but they weren't shy of recruiting elves and humans into their ranks too. They also kept in touch with like-minded dwarven individuals of other nations as well as gangs such as the Infinite Dragons. Distreyd Era The Triad was one of the more powerful Aisonian criminal organizations until the Yamatian Invasion during which many Triad members lost their lives along with other Aisonians. Not content with this, the Triad leadership stole a magic amulet from the treasury of Kareth d'Zarnagon, the leader of the Yamatian invaders in Aison, as revenge and also to use its magic to perform a dark ritual which would make the Triad's power grow. Zarnagon found out the Triad's plan and sent a task force led by Hiroshi Takamoto to retrieve the talisman and eliminate the Triad... this time for good. After fierce battles, Takamoto's group succeeded in securing the talisman and delivered a grippling blow to the Triad. Only a few Triad members survived the Great Purge and fled into the wilderness, but they swore to return one day and turn the Triad into a mighty criminal organization which it had once been. Godslayer Era Setting the Stage The members who would become the Triune's Shark and Vulture eventually met with Fox and formed a new Triune which meant to find a way to resurrect Laverna, the Goddess of Thieves, and have her favour the Triad in its transactions. Fox chose Janus Todd to act as his stand-in in any potential meetings with outsiders to keep himself hidden when everyone would believe that Janus was the real Fox. The Triad had recruited several people to work as their eyes and ears in several locations, and one such person was Geras Sylevar, member of the Illunii guard. Sylevar reported to the Triune about the actions of the Dresdens after the Battle of Illunii, which made the Triune decide to use the Dresdens to their advantage. Fox seized the moment when he learned that Razravkar Dominus, one of the Dresdens, had fled from Alent and decided to follow him in hopes of using him to further the Triad's plans. The Triad was responsible for framing the Order of the Black Rose for being behind the assassination attempt on several of the Union Workers' master thieves in Alent, which led to the Alent Gang War between the Order and the Union. This brief but brutal conflict weakened both factions, allowing the Triad to reap the rewards while keeping its involvement hidden from the other two factions. Magical Experiments Vulture collaborated with the demon mage Dantalion around the same time to force the Beacon of Alent into a metamorphosis before the Beacon's power affected mothers of the future Beaconborn, hit Unithien Greyrain and turned her into a living conduit of pure mana. Unithien was eventually subdued and placed into the ziggurat where several tests were conducted on her, some of them supervised by Vulture who was a member of the Council of Mages. This was all part of the Triad's master plan which would involve Unithien and several other key figures in the following weeks. After finding the necessary items for the ritual to release Laverna from her hidden prison, the Triad acted openly for the first time in years by announcing its presence in Reign in 1017 AE where they ended up freeing Laverna's host, Haruko Mizushima, during the Day of the Damned. The Triad allied itself with the Union in order to take Haruko to Hidefall while sending other Triad members to Ciano to recover Gilgamesh who had been released from his magical prison at the same time as Haruko. However, Gilgamesh proved too powerful and unhinged for the Triad to handle and escaped from their grasp, but he later appeared in Hidefall where he was defeated. Fox decided to take matters into his own hands when Gilgamesh had attacked, and he took Haruko with him to Malperdy. Shark and Vulture were less than pleased about Fox's recklessness and ordered Janus and Illyria to make the most out of the mess and follow the Union to Malperdy to retrieve Haruko--and Laverna--as well as reprimand Fox for what he had done. Eventually Janus recovered Haruko who gave birth to twins who would become the mortal hosts of Laverna and Dionysus. He made Gilgamesh join him and, together with Geras Sylevar, they fled with Haruko's children as well as a handful of hostages who included Persephone Barca and Rahovart, both of whom would be some of the key people required for the Triad's master plan just like Unithien was. While Shark continued diminishing the Alliance's efforts in the war in Maar Sul and Vulture continued experiments in Alent, the twins would find their way to Tiamat, revealing Laverna and Dionysus's master plan: to be reunited with their mother who was hiding in Devilfish Strait. It came with a cost as Gilgamesh lost his life during the Battle of Devilfish Strait, and Unithien would later lose her Beacon powers around the time of the Battle of Hephaisteion. Final Days While both Janus and Illyria grew more disillusioned with the Triad in Alent after suffering losses, Vulture continued furthering the Triad's master plan. What happened afterwards is unknown, but eventually Alent fell in the Catastrophe which also caused mass amnesia of what exactly had transpired in the last days of Alent. It's believed that Vulture perished in the resulting explosion and that Shark may have perished as well after Geraden Aurelac's True Aurelac faction took over Maar Sul. What happened with Fox is likewise unknown. What is known that the Triad had lost much of its power and membership in the disaster, and by the Fourth Age there's been no sign of the Triad still playing a part in the new criminal underworld as upstart thieves guilds have risen in its place. Culture Armor and Emblems The Triad has no consistent armor as most of them work as spies in other organizations. When they do get together, they tend to use wooden animal-themed masks which are reminiscent of the human skull masks which Totenkopfs use. Their flag has a wine red three-legged crow on a white background. The crow symbol represents Vulture (vigilant eyes which represent the Triad's observing and influencing things from afar), Fox (wings which represent the Triad's adaptability and capability of fantastic feats), and Shark (three talons which represent the Triad's strength to rip their enemies to shreds with the power of the Triune). The Triad sometimes carves a triangle, which represents the crow in an abstract manner, on the bodies of those they have killed in order to make their enemies afraid of them. Beliefs The Triad is after wealth and respect but also has an almost fanatically religious following of Laverna, the Goddess of Thieves. They stop at nothing to crush any opposition but they do so in subtle ways, making their enemies fight each other to weaken them before delivering the killing blow. Politics Organization Triune The Triune is the ruling body of the Triad and consists of three powerful masters, Dragon Heads, who are referred to by their animal totem names. The current members of the Triune are: *Fox *Shark *Vulture Followers The followers are the grunts of the Triad who follow the Triune's orders. Some rise to the position of vanguards, officers who act as middlemen between the Triune and the rest of the Triad. Although the Triad prefers stealth and espionage, they aren't afraid of getting their hands dirty when necessary. Although some members act recklessly, most Triad members know the usefulness of staying in the shadows and manipulating other factions to do their bidding. They recruit people from other races than just dwarves, and it's not uncommon for them to even have a few rogue Sirithai in their ranks. Notable members *Fox *Geras Sylevar *Janus Todd *Illyria *Shark *Thrax *Vulture See also *Finian Clan *Great Purge *Infinite Dragons *Ixtli *Laverna *Sinister Six Category:Aison * Category:Libaterra Category:Third Age factions